I have been arguing with a number of my friends, most of them black, who have said they will drop out of the campaign because of the treatment of Jesse Jackson recently. I supported Jackson for the past few years because of his program and concern for the masses of people, a program somewhat reminiscent of the glorious united front days of the `30s.
My hope is that he will continue to mobilize the people against the tragic leadership of the last eight years and in four and more likely eight years the country will be politically and racially advanced enough to elect him to the presidency.
Worry about Bentsen`s ultraconservatism is natural, but it is Dukakis, not he, who will be appointing the Cabinet members, the administrators and above all Supreme Court justices. This last item alone is enough to make one work hard for a change.
In 1984, only 53 percent of those eligible voted. There is a danger that the number will go below 50 percent, and a small minority could re-elect those who lack respect for both international and national law.
